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Our travel posts about destinations, lodges, and events.
Horseshoe Bend is one of the supermodels of our public lands. It’s the ultimate “look at” site. You go there, stand at the overlook and look at it; that’s it. Of course, you’ll also take a million pictures, but my point is that looking at it is the activity. And it’s worth it. Even the most cardio-seeking, marathon-trail-running enthusiast will stop in their tracks at the sight of the bend.
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The Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park opened in 1927 as people were beginning to flock to our country’s incredible public lands and wanted accommodations that matched the splendor of those natural places. Nestled into Yosemite Valley, its stone exterior blends seamlessly into the surrounding granite cliffs.
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The Grand Canyon’s historic El Tovar Hotel sits about a hundred feet from one of the grandest natural views in the world: the overlook into the canyon from the South Rim. In 1903, President Roosevelt visited the Grand Canyon, and in a speech, he implored onlookers to leave the area as it was, unspoiled. He was concerned that any building, even the smallest cottage, would mar the beauty of the canyon.
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Looking west toward the open prairie, we saw dozens of brown humps in the distance: bison grazing against a backdrop of yellow, grass-covered hills that rose 2,000 feet above the plain. Without knowing better, we would have thought this was the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone or the desolate Henry Mountains in southern Utah.
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The label “one-of-a-kind” has never been more appropriately used than when applied to Goblin Valley State Park. Its main feature is the unusual rock formations called goblins. Over millions of years, wind and water eroded the Entrada sandstone to form rounded spires. A typical goblin has a cap rock that’s wider than its base, giving it a mushroom-shaped look. Some of the stone structures are no taller than you or me; others are a couple of hundred feet tall.
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If you’ve ever sat in a window seat on a long plane ride and had to spend most of the flight looking out the window to give your neighbor in the middle some extra room, then you’ve probably seen some good examples of meandering rivers. When a river loses speed as it flows downhill, it tends to flow back and forth, making lazy S-shaped curves across the landscape. From above, the land between the loops looks like goosenecks. Staring at a lazy river from 30,000 feet might be only slightly better than having a stranger put his head on your shoulder as he naps, but seeing a massive gooseneck up close, like the ones at Goosenecks State Park in Utah, is a thrill.
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